"Boy, I heard you cleaned up those American cowboys?" Thomas asked with interest.

"Americans are simple and straightforward, they prefer to crush their opponents with violence, and they lack flexibility in their attacks. It's somewhat similar to what we used to be. But they are very meticulous and organized, and if the data in their deduction can be realized in reality, then the efficiency of the use of the same aircraft carrier is better than ours. Cunningham replied.

"A long illness becomes a cure, as long as a fleet loses enough times, it can always learn something from it, the American industry is indeed strong, but this time, I am afraid it will not help the US Navy. They must learn to use wisdom rather than brute force to win. Thomas said with a sigh. I know you must want to ask me why I'm here, well, let me tell you, in the future we will fight alongside the American fleet against the mighty Allied fleet in the Indian Ocean. ”

"The Americans agreed to our plan? I still find it hard to believe that the Americans would spend so much money on the British colonies. Cunningham said with some surprise.

"No India...... Without the British Empire, where would the United States find a partner? The Americans may feel that Britain is more reliable than China, and who can they support if they don't support us? Thomas smiled and said..........

"So how many aircraft carriers and battleships can our Indian Ocean Fleet have in the future? How many capital ships can the Americans produce? Cunningham asked.

"There are a maximum of three aircraft carriers before the start of the war, and this is still the number after breaking the treaty limit. There will be no more, and there will only be one of the most elite Fury-class aircraft carriers, and the other two may be fleet aircraft carriers of more than 20,000 tons or a fleet aircraft carrier plus a light aircraft carrier. And the American fleet can only dispatch a maximum of 3 aircraft carriers. It is even possible that there will only be 2 ships, and I guess in the best-case scenario, we will only have 5 ships. Thomas thought for a moment and said.

"If the Germans concentrated their main forces in the Mediterranean. Then the Germans will have at least 4-6 aircraft carriers (taking into account the newly built aircraft carriers after the treaty. Add to that the two or three aircraft carriers of Austria-Hungary and the aircraft carriers of Spain and Turkey, and the number of aircraft carriers at their disposal in the Mediterranean-Indian Ocean theater may greatly exceed ours, and our situation will be dire. Cunningham said with a gloomy face. Although the Allies will not spend their entire fleet in the Indian Ocean, it is inevitable that the other side will have the upper hand.

"This is already the best-case scenario, if the direction of Italian policy changes. Then the aircraft carrier formations of the Allies will increase by 3-4 ships! That's what really kills! I will not hide it from you, although the current Italian government is anxious to draw a line with the Central Powers, and after the Black Shirts incident, the Italian naval faction has become quite hostile to the Central Powers. But. The current Italian government is not stable, and if there is a major change in the political situation in Italy due to foreign interference, it will be a fatal injury to the Allies, at least I think. However, they are not very concerned about this, or they know that even if they want to, they are a little powerless. There was a rare hint of deep anxiety in Thomas'.........s words.

"You're not going to bring it up in this negotiation with the Americans? It is difficult for me to imagine that the Americans would meddle in the internal affairs of Italy in such a situation. Not to mention. Italy is so close to Germany and Austria that it will be difficult for us to intervene. Cunningham was also aware of the seriousness of the matter. After all, the attitude of the Italian Navy is directly related to the pressure of the Entente in the Indian Ocean theater of operations in the future!

"This matter will definitely be mentioned, and it must be resolved. The Italian fleet must not fall into the hands of anyone else, either to destroy it or to escape from the control of the Central Powers. Huaxia also has some thoughts on this, and their liaison has lobbied through both official and private channels. Attempts were made to convince the government to dispose of the Italian Navy with Huaxia, but the situation is not yet clear. At this point, Huaxia is more attentive than us, or is it more far-sighted? I think we need to talk to the Americans about this. Maybe the U.S. government doesn't see the threat, but I'm sure Majifen can. If there is an agreement within the navies of the two countries, and if the Chinese officials are added, there is still a chance for this matter. Thomas said. …。

And then in a meeting with Sims and Magifin, Thomas mentioned the question of the future direction of Italy at the meeting: "From the present point of view, Italy is more inclined to us, and this must be intolerable to the Allies, in the context of the economic crisis, Germany and Austria are very likely to take action against Italy, maybe we cannot prevent the change of regime, but at least we cannot remain indifferent, the problem of the Italian Navy must be solved, they will either defect to us or be destroyed." Thomas said bluntly during the meeting. At present, Huaxia also has the same attitude towards this, but from their words, they hope to be able to provide refuge for the remaining Italy after the matter is irreparable. Even if it's temporary. ”。 …。

"Italy's environment is very bad, it is located in the closed Mediterranean, and the two exits are controlled by the Allies, don't think about the Suez Canal, the only hope is in the Strait of Gibraltar, and Spain is isolated overseas, there is no border with other countries of the Central Powers, as long as we are under pressure enough, I think Spain will not embarrass the Italian fleet." Magifen said.

"Spain is not a big problem...... But what about the German fleet? If the main forces of the German High Seas Fleet had entered the Atlantic or had been stationed in the Mediterranean before the operation, the Italian Navy could have been severely damaged within a few days, with the cooperation of the air force. The war in the Mediterranean was a complete one, with no tricks to speak of. Thomas then asked another question.

"This is unlikely, Germany wants an Italy as complete as possible, the most important of which is its navy, if a large-scale battle really breaks out between the two sides, then the retreatable Italian navy will also give the Germans a sharp blow. Of course, if that's the case, isn't our goal achieved? The Italian Navy was finished, but the German fleet also suffered losses. Magiffen shook his head and dismissed that possibility.

"In addition, Huaxia may already be in action, if what General Deng Shichang said is true, then Lin Yongsheng should go to Italy. Moreover, it is said that Huaxia will give 1 aircraft carrier and 1 aviation cruiser built for Italy. And these carrier-based aircraft will be Chinese, so from the point of view of use and operation, then there will be many Chinese personnel among the people who operate these warships. It seems that Huaxia is more active than we are. Magifen then added..........

"This is more of a gesture, or rather a force to force us to take a stand, Huaxia has done enough, and if we back down, then we will lose a great opportunity to weaken the Allies with Huaxia. Even if we lose, Huaxia has already stood on our side with practical actions, the Allies got Italy, and we got Huaxia. I originally thought that Huaxia would most likely choose to detain the battleship that should have been delivered to Italy, but I didn't expect that the other party's approach would be so radical! But it's very much in line with someone's habit of either not doing it, or doing it boldly. Thomas said with a sigh.

"When it comes to politics, we don't get too involved in things. We just have to do our own thing. Judging from their contacts with General Deng Shichang this time, they also came to discuss two issues, one is the future situation in South Asia, and the other is the issue of Italy. In particular, I also believe that this is an important opportunity to redefine the relationship between the three countries. Not only in military sense, but more importantly in strategic sense. But finally I would like to ask where he belonged if the Italian fleet managed to escape from Ascension. Magiffen looked at Thomas and was silent ..........

"If I were Tycho, whether for personal feelings or for the interests of the fleet, I would choose China over any of the Entente countries. Tycho and Xu Jie have a very good relationship, and even have a nominal master-apprentice relationship. And Xu Jie has indeed given Italy a lot of benefits. From the perspective of future interests, if the Italian fleet is in China, then they will not be the first to participate in the war in the future, which is undoubtedly a very favorable condition for the preservation of the Italian fleet. And if I were the First Admiralty, I would send the Italian fleet to the battlefield as soon as war began. Thomas said without hesitation. …。

"Maybe we're too greedy and waiting to share things before they settle down." Ma Jifen also smiled bitterly. "If the remaining Italian fleet is accepted by Huaxia, then their chips will be even greater."

"Are you saying that Huaxia did not participate in the war in order to wait for the price?" Thomas asked.

"There must be a reason for that...... China is so big, it is impossible to only have the oil fields of the former Dutch East Indies, which is not in line with common sense. If they wanted to solve it, maybe they would be an oil exporter by now. Of course, this is just my personal speculation. But one thing I can be sure of is that this time Huaxia will definitely not give the allies the slightest help, although Xu is a very slippery person, and he will calculate the people of his allies when necessary, but he is definitely not a person without vision. He'll be on our side eventually. Majifen said..........

"Well, in that case, let's do our own thing first, and hope that the Huaxia side can make progress quickly, whether it is to persuade our two governments or to cooperate with Tycho. If we work together on three fronts. Maybe it can really work. Thomas also thought about it, these things are not for them to decide, Majifen is right, doing your own thing is the key!

Thanks to the book friends zhouyu1976, hukaikaka for the reward~~~, as well as the book friends old students, don't want to die Xiaobai, baby cat bear, Fengqiao 001, a19690620 and other book friends for their monthly pass support ~~~. There is a more ~~~ this afternoon, please subscribe for support~~~~. (。 )。